Pictures Frozen In Time
by Just A Little Bit Dramatic
Summary: “Rest assured that when you are watching this, witnessing her pain, her last minutes to live were of agony she never has known before. You failed, Cullen. I won.” Bella, Alice, and Edward all watch James' tape. Three-shot. T to be safe...
1. Bella

**The various Cullens and Bella watch the tape. There will be four chapters of this – Bella, Edward, Alice, and then the result of watching it. It's how they react to the parts they find the most relevant, etc. **

**I don't own Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, or anything to do with Edward Cullen. It hurts to write that. My heart is breaking.**

_**Bella's POV**_

_That if you say,_

_Goodbye today,_

_I'd ask you to be true._

_Cause the hardest part of this,_

_Is leaving you…_

_Cancer by My Chemical Romance_

I waited until Edward had gone for a hunt before confronting Esme. I caught her in the garden, happily planting flowers, the sundress she wore suiting her perfectly. "Um…Esme…I had to ask you something…but I'm not sure you'll approve at all…"

She smiled at me, radiantly. "Ask away, dear. You know you can ask anything of us." I nodded, pulling down the long sleeve of my black V-neck sweater, and tugging on the hem to cover the top of my jeans.

"I…uh…I wondered…did you keep the tape?" I didn't need to clarify which one it was. She knew – that I could tell from the way her hands shook as she stopped planting the seeds, instead wiping her hands on the gardening smock over the pretty lilac material of her dress.

She cleared her throat, forcing a smile as she looked at me. "Why do you ask, Bella? I'm not sure Edward would entirely approve of me telling you…" She met my determined gaze, and stood up, meeting my height perfectly. "Bella…you don't plan to…"

I hugged myself slightly. "I know it's hard for you to understand, and I know Edward would flip…but Esme…I need some sort of closure. I've been dreaming about it every night now, surely Edward has told you. I love him, but if he won't let me do this…I'll do it without his permission. I don't believe he would have burnt it…not without watching it. And Alice needed it, too. I _need _to watch it."

Esme sighed, nodding. "Edward will no doubt break something when he finds out…but you do have as much of a right as they did to watch it. And yes, they have both watched it. They refuse to burn it, at the moment. But…I must warn you, Bella…it's not something to be watched lightly."

I nodded. "I know. But I have to…I just do. And I'd prefer it to be when Edward's not around to see my reaction. So…please…" She watched me for a few minutes, and led me inside the house, and into the living room.

Esme vanished for a few moments, before reappearing, holding a small tape. She pressed it into the machine, and turned to glance at me. "Do you want me to stay with you?" I was shaking my head before she finished.

"It's something I have to do on my own…but thank you." She smiled at me, almost in concern, but gave me my privacy. I sucked in a deep breath, and looked at the television.

**lionandlamb**

A scene I had never seen was beginning. James appeared in front of the camera – I guessed this was before I had arrived. The sight of him struck me as hard as a punch in the stomach, and his voice chilled me to the core. _"This is a…memory, shall we say? Of your precious human girlfriend, in her final moments. No doubt this will be fast, but it will not be fast enough for her. Rest assured that when you are watching this, witnessing her pain, her last minutes to live were of agony she never has known before. You failed, Cullen. I won."_

The scene changed to the ballet studio.

I watched myself sprint into the room, panic written on my face as I spun, finally looking over at the television. My face visibly softened when I realized it was a video, and I turned to see the figure who haunted my dreams every night.

James stood near the room exit, holding a remote control. From memory, I knew I was staring into his eyes. He walked past me and towards the TV, placing down the control. The video image of me followed him by turning slowly.

"_Sorry about that, Bella, but isn't it better that your mother didn't really have to be involved in all this?" _His voice was courteous, kindness without warmth, sickeningly nice. It made my insides churn.

I watched myself almost sigh with relief, forgetting about the present danger I was in. _"Yes." _My answer was strong; I didn't look frightened.

"_You don't sound angry that I tricked you." _James was watching video-me curiously, almost disappointed that I wasn't furious at the trick.

"_I'm not."_

He cocked his head. _"How odd. You really mean it. I will give your strange coven this much, you humans can be quite interesting. I guess I can see the draw of observing you. It's amazing – some of you seem to have no sense of your own self-interest at all. I suppose you're going to tell me that your boyfriend will avenge you?" _The first time I heard him say it, I suspected that he was hopeful. Now I was sure.

Video-me shook my head. _"No, I don't think so. At least, I asked him not to."_

"_And what was his reply to that?"_

On the video, my face twisted in anguish, my lips pursing. _"I don't know. I left him a letter."_ My voice sounded hollow, my hair falling in a damp mass over my shoulders, my white shirt clinging to my sweaty skin.

James smiled. _"How romantic, a last letter. And do you think he will honor it?" _Video-me's face hardened, my eyes narrowing as I detected his sarcasm. Watching it, I unconsciously moved forward on the lounge seat, drawn to this strange memory.

"_I hope so."_

He seemed to fight a chuckle. _"Hmmm. Well, our hopes differ then. You see, this was all just a little too easy, too quick. To be honest, I'm disappointed. I expected a much greater challenge. And after all, I only needed a little luck. When Victoria couldn't get to your father, I had her find out more about you. There was no sense in running all over the planet chasing you down when I could comfortably wait for you in a place of my choosing. So, after I talked to Victoria, I decided to come to Phoenix to pay your mother a visit. I'd heard you say you were going home. At first, I never dreamed you meant it. But then I wondered. Humans can be very predictable; they like to be somewhere familiar, somewhere safe. And wouldn't it be the perfect ploy, to go to the last place you should be when you're hiding – the place that you said you'd be."_

I found myself gripping into the material of the lounge, biting into my cheek.

"_But, of course, I wasn't sure, it was just a hunch. I usually get a feeling about the prey when I'm hunting, a sixth sense, if you will. I listened to your message when I got to your mother's home, but of course I couldn't be sure where you'd called from. It was very useful to have your number, but you could be in Antarctica for all I knew, and the game wouldn't work unless you were close by. Then your boyfriend got on a plane to Phoenix. Victoria was monitoring them for me, naturally; in a game with this many players, I couldn't be working alone. And so they told me what I'd hoped, that you were here after all. I was prepared; I'd already been through your charming home movies. And then it was simple a matter of the bluff. Very easy, you know, not really up to my standards. So, you see, I'm hoping you're wrong about your boyfriend. Edward, isn't it?" _James was almost smiling. Video-me was staring. _"Would you mind, very much, if I left a little letter of my own for your Edward?"_

The me on the screen paled, horrified, as James touched the object I knew to be a camera out of the video's frame. He moved the camera, satisfied.

"_I'm sorry, but I just don't think he'll be able to resist hunting me after he watches this. And I wouldn't want him to miss anything. It was all for him, of course. You're simply a human who unfortunately was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and indisputably running with the wrong crowd, I might add."_ He moved towards video-me. _"Before we begin…I would just like to rub it in, just a little bit. The answer was there all along, and I was so afraid Edward would see that and ruin my fun. It happened once, oh, ages ago. The one and only time my prey escaped me." _

I could only imagine how Alice had handled this when she watched it for the first time. She, like me, had been a victim of James. Only, she couldn't remember; I had video proof of my participation in his fun.

"_You see, the vampire who was so stupidly fond of this little victim made the choice that your Edward was too weak to make. When the old one knew I was after his little friend, he stole her from the asylum where he worked – I never will understand the obsession some vampires form with you humans – and as soon as he freed her he made her safe. She didn't even seem to notice the pain, poor little creature. She'd been stuck in that black hole of a cell for so long. A hundred years earlier and she would have been burned at the stake for her visions. In the nineteen-twenties it was the asylum and the shock treatments. When she opened her eyes, strong with her fresh youth, it was like she'd never seen the sun before. The old vampire made her a strong new vampire, and there was no reason for me to touch her then. I destroyed the old one in vengeance."_

Video-me gasped, amazement dawning on my terrified face. _"Alice." _I could hear the astonishment in my voice, remembering the shock it had given me when he told me.

"_Yes, your little friend. I was surprised to see her in the clearing. So I guess her cove ought to be able to derive some comfort from this experience. I get you, but they get her. The one victim who escaped me, quite an honor, actually. And she did smell so delicious. I still regret that I never got to taste…she smelled even better than you do. Sorry – I don't meant to be offensive." _I stifled a laugh. Offensive? Oh no…homicidal? Definitely. _"You have a very nice smell. Floral, somehow…"_

I could feel the bile rise in my throat. That was how Edward described my scent. James stepped towards video-me, now frozen, and lifted a few strands of my hair, smelling it. He let it fall back into place, and touched my throat…then my cheek. Video-me was breathing erratically, eyes wide in terror.

"_No, I don't understand. Well, I suppose we should get on with it. And then I can call your friends and tell then where to find you, and my little message."_

I watched the fear in my own eyes, watching James circle me. Then he dropped into a crouch. Video-me turned, trying to run. James blurred, appearing before me, and I vaguely saw his foot hit my chest.

I watched myself hit the mirror, the glass spider-webbing out around me, and shattering, joining me as I fell to the ground. James strode towards me, blood beginning to seep on my back, but I didn't look to be in pain – only shock.

"_That's a very nice effect. I thought this room would be visually dramatic for my little film. That's why I picked this place to meet you. It's perfect, isn't it?" _His back was to the camera, but he sounded pleased with himself.

I had begun to crawl to the door, when his body blurred, and he appeared again. He lazily stepped on my leg, a sickening crack echoing on the tape, almost drowned out by my own scream of agony. Video-me rolled, gripping the left I now know had been badly broken.

"_Would you like to rethink your last request?" _He touched my broken leg with his toe, and a blood-curdling scream ripped from my lips. _"Wouldn't you rather have Edward try to find me?"_

Tears began to gather as I watched myself hyperventilate. _"No! No, Edward, don't…" _James fist hit my face, fast, and video-me flew back into the mirrors my body had smashed before. As I watched my body hit the floor, I saw the blood drip from my hair, over my forehead.

James stalked towards my broken body, and I watched myself raise my hand to protect my face. He gripped it, lowering his lips to my wrist, and bit in. Blood tricked down my arm, but video-me was oblivious to the pain, completely unconscious.

Tears had began to drip down my face, but I couldn't turn it off. This was the part of it all that I couldn't remember. My rescue.

For several long seconds, James continued to drink. And then the door to the room was ripped off his hinges, and Edward appeared. Jasper, Emmett, and Alice were all behind him. Edward's lips peeled back, and a snarl echoed through the small room.

James had looked up, a grin prompting blood – my blood – to trickle down his chin. Edward began to lunge towards him, but then he saw me. He blurred, appearing by my side in less than a second, eyes wide in horror.

"_Oh no, Bella, no!" _I remembered this. I had been drifting to consciousness. Video-me was still dead to the world, and I watched in sick fascination as the other strange noises I had heard all became clear.

Emmett and Jasper pinned James against the broken mirrors, ripping him apart viciously. Alice had moved to Edward's side, a hand on his shoulder, but her face was twisted in regret and guilt as she watched my still body.

"_Bella, please! Bella, listen to me, please, please, Bella, please!" _Edward was sobbing, his face contorted in anguish. I began to cry harder as I watched the scene, audibly sobbing. _"Carlisle! Bella, Bella, no, oh, please, no, no!" _

Carlisle pressed material against my head, and video-me gasped, my body convulsing enough to show them that I was partly aware of what was going on. In the background, Emmett and Jasper were finished with James. They glanced at what was happening to me, but left the room, shame written on their perfect faces.

Edward bent closer to me. _"Bella!" _

"_She's lost some blood, but the head wound isn't deep. Watch out for her leg, it's broken." _Edward roared at Carlisle's words, watching as Carlisle gently prodded my ribs. Video-me gasped loudly, moaning. _"Some ribs, too, I think."_

Alice was watching me, fluttering in the background, trying to find some way to make herself useful without becoming a hindrance. She settled for kneeling beside Edward, eyes flickering along every one of my injuries.

"_Edward…" _Video-me was attempting to talk, but my voice was incredibly weak. Edward's eyes widened, and he leaned closer, concern and love on every part of his face.

He inhaled. _"Bella, you're going to be fine. Can you hear me, Bella? I love you." _The me on the video repeated his name, only increasing the worry on his angelic features. _"Yes, I'm here."_

"_It hurts." _As I watched, my tears kept coming, and I unconsciously traced the scar on my wrist, wishing I had waited to watch this with Edward, but praying he hadn't watched it, anyway.

He stifled a sob._ "I know, Bella, I know…" _He turned to Carlisle. _"Cant you do anything?"_ His voice was filled with desperation and angst.

Carlisle looked at his son, sympathetic, but calm. _"My bag, please…hold your breath, Alice, it will help." _My gaze flickered to the Alice on screen, becoming aware of how black her eyes were. Yet she stayed.

"_Alice?" _Video-me murmured. Alice looked at my face, a hesitant smile appearing on her face. Edward glanced at her gratefully, before turning back.

He nodded. _"She's here. She knew where to find you." _

"_My hand hurts."_

The anguished look was back on his face. _"I know, Bella. Carlisle will give you something. It will stop." _But he was almost puzzled as he looked at my hand. I could see why; there was only a bit of blood, my other wounds looked worse.

"_My hand is burning!" _I tried to jerk up, screaming, the material covering my eyes partly. Alice gently, but firmly, held me down to avoid further injury to myself.

Edward was frightened. _"Bella?" _

"_The fire! Someone stop the fire!"_

Edward lifted my hand, showing it to his father. _"Carlisle! Her hand!" _Confusion was apparent; he couldn't see any fire.

Carlisle glanced at it, and his face blanched._ "He bit her." _Edward gasped, complete horror flooding his entire being as he stared at my hand.

Alice moved around, to my head, and laid it in her lap gently. _"Edward, you have to do it." _She brushed away the tears I couldn't see from the video, stroking my cheek.

"_No!" _Edward shouted, staring at her. Video-me murmured Alice's name, and I echoed it out loud as I watched, tears still slipping from my lashes. I wanted this pain…I wanted to become vampire…so why was it terrible to be watching it now?

Carlisle sighed. _"There may be a chance…" _His voice was doubtful, but Edward latched onto it, regardless.

"_What?" _I could almost hear the unspoken promise in his voice to do anything, no matter what.

Carlisle moved closer to Alice, working on my scalp wounds. Alice looked away, focusing on my face as he worked, eyes darkening. _"See if you can suck the venom back out. The wound is fairly clean."_

"_Will that work?" _Alice's voice was forced; she was fighting hard not to give in.

Carlisle looked at her for a moment. _"I don't know. But we have to hurry."_

Edward had been frozen, watching me writhe as he thought. _"Carlisle, I…I don't know if I can do that." _He was ashamed, wanting to protect me from this fate…but not wanting to risk my death.

His father looked at him sharply. _"It's your decision, Edward, either way. I cant help you. I have to get this bleeding stopped here if you're going to be taking blood from her hand." _He watched me continue to convulse.

"_Edward!" _Video-me was screaming again, and writhing. Carlisle moved to my lower body, trying to touch my leg in order to hold it down.

"_Alice, get me something to brace her leg!" _As Alice lowered my head, Carlisle was there, attempting to help my scalp wounds. Alice moved to my leg, holding something I couldn't recognize through the tape. _"Edward, you must do it now, or it will be too late."_

Edward bent, slowly gripping my hand, and lowered his lips to it. Watching the tape, it looked like he was kissing my skin…until video-me began to scream. Alice was almost hugging my leg to keep it still, and she was singing, trying to soothe me.

"_You have set me a banquet of love…in the face of hatred…crowning me with love beyond my power to hold…" _She reached up to hold my other hand, looking at Carlisle as she sung. He was holding my head in place.

And then, finally, Edward stopped. He spat the blood out, shocking me as I watched, and video-me began to pass out again. _"Edward?" _I sounded so weak that I surprised myself.

"_He's right here, Bella." _Carlisle was looking at his son with pride, and he released my head, nodding for Alice to let go of my leg.

"_Stay, Edward, stay with me…" _I sighed.

He watched video-me, his eyes filled with love, prompting another sob from me as I watched it. _"I will." _He was smiling slightly, proud of his success.

"_Is it all out?" _Carlisle asked. Edward looked at him, and nodded.

He spoke quietly. _"Her blood tastes clean…I can taste the morphine." _He turned his gaze back to me, reluctant to touch me and cause more pain, but his hand hovered in the air.

"_Bella?" _Carlisle spoke again. Video-me whimpered in reply. _"Is the fire gone?"_

"_Yes. Thank you, Edward."_

Edward looked at me, and a strange expression covered his face. _"I love you." _Video-me murmured an 'I know', and started to drift off again. Carlisle didn't want me to go that soon.

"_Bella?" _Edward glanced at his father sharply, prompting a raised eyebrow.

The me on screen wasn't so happy in her reply. _"What?"_

"_Where is your mother?" _Carlisle sounded almost apologetic, but he continued to bandage up my numerous injuries to make the trip to the hospital more bearable.

Video-me sighed. _"In Florida. He tricked me, Edward. He watched our videos." _Edward looked at the TV, clearly showing the camera the disgust on his face. _"Alice. Alice, the video – he knew you, Alice, he knew where you came from…"_

Alice blurred as she moved towards the TV, and suddenly the video ended. I assumed that was when my adopted vampire sister had discovered that the camera was still recording, and stopped it.

**lionandlamb**

My hair was sticking to my tear-streaked face, my arms wrapped around my legs, and I was shaking as I watched the blue screen of the television. A deep sigh echoed behind me, and I spun, only to find myself staring into golden eyes.

"Oh, Bella…I didn't want you to see that…" Edward was beside me in a flash, pressing his lips to my forehead, and rubbing circles on my back. I nodded, drawing in a shaky breath, and buried my face in his shirt. "What _possessed_ Esme to let you watch it?"

I let my breath out in a rush. "I…I don't know…I just…I had to, Edward…don't be mad at Esme…I begged her. You watched it, Edward…I deserved to." He was silent, still holding me to him, and shushing my sobs.

"Did it…did it help _at all_? Will it stop your nightmares?" I glanced at him sharply, and he nodded. "I hear you, Bella. In your sleep. You dream about _it _every night…have done since it happened. I just want you to be happy…reassured…_safe._"

I wet my lips, staring at the TV screen. "I thought I'd never see you again," I admitted. "The pain…it was nothing compared to knowing you'd blame yourself for this. And I knew you'd track him down, no matter what…I've never been more scared, Edward."

He touched my cheek gently. "I know…I know, Bella…I've never been more scared of losing you. Even when Tyler nearly hit you with the damn car…it was nothing compared to the fear that you had knowingly put yourself in danger. Danger you were only in because of me. I didn't want you to see the tape because I didn't want you to relive that day unnecessarily. Not again."

I drew his chin down to press my lips against his, smiling softly into the kiss. When I drew back, I pressed my cheek against his. "Never leave me…"

His eyes were filled with horror and sadness, both as blatant as the other. "I promise I wont leave you…unless you are in danger, I will stay as long as I'm wanted." The vow was sealed with a kiss, the unease in my stomach beginning to settle as I put the tape out of my mind.

Until tonight, at least.

**That took forever to write, so I'm hoping for a few reviews. I think I'll do Alice next, because hers will be shorter than beloved Edward. So please review if you want more, because reviews equal inspiration. **

**Just A Little Bit Dramatic**


	2. Alice

**The various Cullens and Bella watch the tape. There will be four chapters of this – Bella, Edward, Alice, and then the result of watching it. It's how they react to the parts they find the most relevant, etc. **

**I don't own Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, or anything to do with Edward Cullen. The pain…oh, it hurts! Why, Stephenie Meyer, couldn't I have thought of this?! Why?! -tells psychiatrist and anger management coach to get lost and leave me to rant-**

_**Alice's POV**_

_I've been watching,_

_I've been waiting,_

_In the shadows all my time._

_I've been searching,_

_I've been living,_

_For tomorrows all my life._

_In The Shadows by The Rasmus_

It had been a few hours since we had found Bella. Edward and Carlisle were at the hospital with her, and my curiosity had been peaked when Bella started to murmur about a tape. My talent showed that Bella would not be waking up anytime soon, and really, Edward needed some time alone with her.

Jasper watched me as I crossed to the television, hesitantly placing in the tape. No one else had watched this yet, but Bella had almost sold me the right to see it when she mentioned my past. So I intended to see this through, if it were the last thing I did.

I settled beside my only love, lacing my fingers with his as the tape began. It was pure torture, watching James put Bella through such hell. She handled it well, for someone who should have been terrified, but my insight into her future as my sister had made me _too _protective; I was growling at the way he hurt her.

"Sadistic lunatic," Jasper murmured, obviously outraged on Bella's behalf, surprising me. He felt the shock, and shrugged at me. "I have no objection to her, merely an awareness of her personal safety. I think it would do Edward the world of good to have someone he loves as much as I love you." I leaned against him, feeling him stroke my short hair, and continued to watch.

Jasper's grip on my waist tightened whenever my body tensed, but I was waiting for the moment of truth. The moment where the questions I'd had for decades were finally answered, my fate held in the hands of a homicidal psychopath.

James sneered at Bella on the screen. _"I'm sorry, but I just don't think he'll be able to resist hunting me after he watches this. And I wouldn't want him to miss anything. It was all for him, of course. You're simply a human who unfortunately was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and indisputably running with the wrong crowd, I might add." _I glowered as he moved closer to her. _"Before we begin…I would just like to rub it in, just a little bit. The answer was there all along, and I was so afraid Edward would see that and ruin my fun. It happened once, oh, ages ago. The one and only time my prey escaped me."_

A wave of panic gripped me, eased by Jasper almost immediately. "No…don't…not now, Jazz. Let me feel." I whispered, not taking my eyes off the screen, my free hand gripping into the sofa hard enough to tear through the fabric.

"_You see, the vampire who was so stupidly fond of this little victim made the choice that your Edward was too weak to make. When the old one knew I was after his little friend, he stole her from the asylum where he worked – I never will understand the obsession some vampires form with you humans – and as soon as he freed her he made her safe. She didn't even seem to notice the pain, poor little creature. She'd been stuck in that black hole of a cell for so long. A hundred years earlier and she would have been burned at the stake for her visions." _Oh God. I numbly felt my body shiver, felt Jasper's lips brush my throat in a gesture of comfort, feeling every muscle in my body freeze.

An asylum…? My parents had me committed for my visions? I had visions in my human life? How could they…? I was their daughter. Did I shame or anger them in some way? Was I not good enough? What made them put a member of their family in a place like that? What had been wrong with me?

Jasper rubbed his hand up my arm, taking my hand and kissing the back of it chastely. "There is nothing wrong with you, Alice…never could have been. They couldn't understand, my love. How could they? They were humans in a time when your visions were seen as threatening?"

I couldn't answer him; my eyes were still staring at the TV.

"_In the nineteen-twenties it was the asylum and the shock treatments. When she opened her eyes, strong with her fresh youth, it was like she'd never seen the sun before. The old vampire made her a strong new vampire, and there was no reason for me to touch her then. I destroyed the old one in vengeance." _He almost smiled, a strange emotion evident in his eyes.

I was in an asylum…for my visions…and I had been protected. By a vampire who died for me, who caused my death. I was James' obsession…the one who got away. I vaguely felt Jasper's eyes on me, knowing he was completely scrutinizing my emotions.

The Bella on the video drew in a sharp breath, realization masking her face. _"Alice." _My name was covered with amazement and shock, and I wondered how I hadn't _seen_ it.

"_Yes, your little friend. I was surprised to see her in the clearing. So I guess her coven ought to be able to derive some comfort from this experience." _My fingernails gently tore the fabric of the sofa even more, and I winced at the sound. _"I get you, but they get her. The one victim who escaped me, quite an honor, actually. And she did smell so delicious. I still regret that I never got to taste…she smelled even better than you do. Sorry – I don't mean to be offensive." _Bella muffled a hysterical laugh. _"You have a very nice smell. Floral, somehow…"_

I watched, unable to speak, as James moved towards Bella, lifting her hair lightly and smelling it. He dropped the locks, tracing his finger up her throat, and along her cheekbone. She was terrified.

"_No, I don't understand. Well, I suppose we should get on with it. And then I can call your friends and tell then where to find you, and my little message." _He whispered.

Jasper picked up the remote, turning the tape off swiftly. "I don't think we should watch the rest until the others have…" He smiled apologetically. I nodded, numb, unable to move my gaze away from the screen that had held my attention for the past few minutes.

When I was human, I'd still been somewhat psychic. Enough so to force my family to send me to an asylum, where I'd be lusted for by James. In an effort to save my life, an ally at the asylum had changed me. And yet, what saddened me most of all was that James had said I barely noticed the pain. I'd been in the dark for so long that it didn't affect me at all.

"Alice? Listen to me…you should not let this deter you. Who you are…your human life does not define you. Your family most likely believed that they were doing the best they could for you. But nothing you just heard changes you at all, in my eyes, or your own." I faced the blonde vampire before me, gently brushing my finger against his lips. He kissed it chastely, and I forced a smile.

"Maybe I should be gladdened that I cannot remember my human life. No doubt it was only filled with pain…and darkness." I buried my face in his shoulder, a whimper escaping my lips. "I wonder if I had any siblings…or if my parents ever wondered what happened to me…"

Jasper stroked my back comfortingly, and calm began to flood through my body. "No matter what family you had as a human, my love, you will always hold a place in this one…and it's so powerful that will it would never be replaced. _You _are never going to be forgotten." I nodded into his shoulder.

**lionandlamb**

I told the others what I had seen on the tape after Edward returned from the hospital with Carlisle. It had taken Bella's mother to persuade my only single brother to leave her side, and even then, he didn't intend to be gone for long.

"So," Edward growled, "he was a monster long before he met Bella. You should have let me kill him." The last part of his statement was directed to Emmett and Jasper, who were both staring back at him.

Jasper still held my hand from under the table, and my grip on it tightened. "No, Edward. You needed to focus on Bella. That was more important than revenge." He glanced at me, proving his words to be for more than just Edward's benefit.

Rosalie spoke, reluctantly. "He thought we'd do it, didn't he?" I stared at her questioningly, and she elaborated. "When…when James hunted you…someone changed you to save your life. He thought we'd see the same solution, and change Bella before he had a chance." I nodded, still silent, and Esme reached over the surface of the table to take my other hand.

"I'm glad someone did, my dear. Even if your human life wasn't the best…I'd like to think that the positive sides of this one outweigh the darkness of your old one." Her smile was hopeful, but she spoke the words as a question.

I forced a smile. "I understand why I forgot…and it only assists me in truly appreciating every benefit of the life, or rather afterlife, I now live." My eyes fell on Jasper as I said this. "I am only happy that we saved Bella before it was too late. It's almost odd, that James desired our blood more than any other. It also suggests that when I smell Bella's blood, I might also be smelling something akin to my own."

Edward had calmed, and he stared at me. "I never did thank you, little sister, for staying to ease her pain. I just wish there were some way I could return the favour."

I smiled at him. "Keep her safe…give her a choice."

**Undoubtedly the hardest thing I've ever made myself write. Alice and Jasper are the hardest characters, in my opinion, to write. And then I had to write from the **_**mind **_**of Alice. And if that weren't bad enough, I have to show the relationship she has to Jasper. Horrible horrible horrible to write. I'm sorry it was so short, but I didn't think Alice's POV of what happened to Bella was particularly relevant to her story. **

**Just A Little Bit Dramatic**


	3. Edward

**The various Cullens and Bella watch the tape. There will be four chapters of this – Bella, Edward, Alice, and then the result of watching it. It's how they react to the parts they find the most relevant, etc. **

**I don't own Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, or anything to do with Edward Cullen. It hurts to write that. My heart is breaking.**

_**Edward's POV**_

_I've found a reason for me,_

_To change who I used to be,_

_A reason to start over new,_

_And the reason is you._

_I've found a reason to show,_

_A side of me you didn't know,_

_A reason for all that I do,_

_And the reason is you._

_The Reason by Hoobastank_

"Where's the tape?" My voice echoed through the house, settling on Emmett's ears before anyone else's. He was down the stairs and in front of me before I could blink, expression unreadable.

He frowned. "Whoa, wait up, man. I don't think that's a good idea…Esme just fixed the sofa from when Alice watched it." The statement didn't register as a joke. "Seriously, Edward. I don't think you should watch it. Especially alone. Bella wouldn't want you to…"

"Bella is in hospital right now because of that _monster. _And I need to know _exactly _what he did to her before I got there. Bella doesn't whimper. Bella doesn't scream. She was in _agony, _Emmett. I need to know what he did to her." I growled. I had carefully blocked out everyone's thoughts before I entered the house.

Renee had asked me to leave Bella to sleep, and I did so, safe in the knowledge that Carlisle was merely meters away from her at all times. I wanted to watch the video of what happened before she woke up. There's no way she'd consciously agree to it.

Emmett sighed. "Edward…what good will it do? He's dead." My eyes were cold as I stared at him, and he faltered. "It's…it's sitting on top of the TV. Alice watched it the other day, remember?"

I turned, growling a few words to Emmett as I made my way to the living room. "Leave me. I don't want to be disturbed until this is over." I heard him make his way upstairs, deliberately ignoring the thoughts he was no doubt directing at me.

**lionandlamb**

With the simple press of a button, the video began. The monster who had tracked down _my _Bella appeared on screen, as hideous as I remembered, red eyes staring down the screen. _"This is a…memory, shall we say? Of your precious human girlfriend, in her final moments. No doubt this will be fast, but it will not be fast enough for her. Rest assured that when you are watching this, witnessing her pain, her last minutes to live were of agony she never has known before. You failed, Cullen. I won."_

My jaw tensed, and I glowered back at him, almost feeling as though he was speaking directly to me. Standing before me. Taunting me. "No you didn't, you twisted son of a bitch. I won. She's still alive." I didn't realize I was speaking out loud until I closed my mouth.

The scene on the video changed to the inside of the ballet studio. Bella ran into the room, her beautiful face a mask of sickening panic. She stared at the camera from where it sat on top of the TV, and her face softened as she realized it was a trick.

James stood behind her, near the exist of the room, holding a remote. Bella turned to stare at him as he walked past her and towards the TV, setting down the control, and watching her. _"Sorry about that, Bella, but isn't it better that your mother didn't really have to be involved in all this?" _He was trying to sound polite. It made me sick.

Bella almost sighed in relief. _"Yes." _Her lack of fear shocked me. I prayed I hadn't desensitized her to our kind so much so that it would only place her in more danger.

James cocked his head, and he stared at her in disappointment. _"You don't sound angry that I tricked you." _He was licking his lips, so fast Bella might have missed it, his eyes flickering up and down her body.

Bella held her chin high. _"I'm not." _Be careful, love, I found myself urging her. He's more dangerous than you'd ever dream. But I knew she couldn't hear me. It was a memory, a tape of what she'd been through. She'd never go through such pain again.

"_How odd. You really mean it. I will give your strange coven this much, you humans can be quite interesting. I guess I can see the draw of observing you. It's amazing – some of you seem to have no sense of your own self-interest at all. I suppose you're going to tell me that your boyfriend will avenge you?" _As if there was any way I wouldn't have, if Emmett and Jasper hadn't already dealt with him. I would have made it slow…painful…he would have been begging for death by the time I was done with him.

Bella's eyes narrowed. She was scared…for me. _"No, I don't think so. At least, I asked him not to." _Surely she knew that such a request would be pointless? It would be like asking her to stay away from me. It would never work.

James nodded. _"And what was his reply to that?" _He was enjoying this, I realized, tearing a chunk of material from the sofa. The sound echoed in my ears, ringing through the silence of the room.

Bella's face on the video dropped, and she pressed her lips together. _"I don't know. I left him a letter."_ Lord knows I remembered that letter well enough. When our plane landed, Alice remembered the letter. She handed it to me, and I panicked. In all my years of living, I had never been so afraid before. Not for me, never for me. I wasn't human. Bella was.

"_How romantic, a last letter. And do you think he will honor it?" _There was no way I ever would have, if he'd succeeded. We both knew that.

Bella's eyes narrowed even more._ "I hope so." _The sadistic bastard stared back at her, seeming to see her in a different light now that he knew what she had asked of me.

"_Hmmm. Well, our hopes differ then. You see, this was all just a little too easy, too quick. To be honest, I'm disappointed. I expected a much greater challenge. And after all, I only needed a little luck. When Victoria couldn't get to your father, I had her find out more about you. There was no sense in running all over the planet chasing you down when I could comfortably wait for you in a place of my choosing. So, after I talked to Victoria, I decided to come to Phoenix to pay your mother a visit. I'd heard you say you were going home. At first, I never dreamed you meant it. But then I wondered. Humans can be very predictable; they like to be somewhere familiar, somewhere safe. And wouldn't it be the perfect ploy, to go to the last place you should be when you're hiding – the place that you said you'd be." _I tried to suppress the overwhelming urge to throw something at the screen. Emmett would murder me. And yet, that ever-present rage, the desire to make the monster suffer pain beyond all pain, was not to be silenced.

"_But, of course, I wasn't sure, it was just a hunch. I usually get a feeling about the prey when I'm hunting, a sixth sense, if you will. I listened to your message when I got to your mother's home, but of course I couldn't be sure where you'd called from. It was very useful to have your number, but you could be in Antarctica for all I knew, and the game wouldn't work unless you were close by. Then your boyfriend got on a plane to Phoenix. Victoria was monitoring them for me, naturally; in a game with this many players, I couldn't be working alone. And so they told me what I'd hoped, that you were here after all. I was prepared; I'd already been through your charming home movies. And then it was simple a matter of the bluff. Very easy, you know, not really up to my standards. So, you see, I'm hoping you're wrong about your boyfriend. Edward, isn't it?" _I almost jumped off the couch, shocked to hear my name spoken. _"Would you mind, very much, if I left a little letter of my own for your Edward?" _I was hers, utterly and completely. He knew that. He was using Bella to get to me.

He touched something out of the camera's frame, and Bella paled. _"I'm sorry, but I just don't think he'll be able to resist hunting me after he watches this. And I wouldn't want him to miss anything. It was all for him, of course. You're simply a human who unfortunately was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and indisputably running with the wrong crowd, I might add." _I bit down on my lip, breaking the tough skin, and tasting the blood of my last hunt in my mouth. _"Before we begin…I would just like to rub it in, just a little bit. The answer was there all along, and I was so afraid Edward would see that and ruin my fun. It happened once, oh, ages ago. The one and only time my prey escaped me."_

Alice. I remembered her telling us about this. I never imagined how sickening the actual video would be. _"You see, the vampire who was so stupidly fond of this little victim made the choice that your Edward was too weak to make. When the old one knew I was after his little friend, he stole her from the asylum where he worked – I never will understand the obsession some vampires form with you humans – and as soon as he freed her he made her safe. She didn't even seem to notice the pain, poor little creature. She'd been stuck in that black hole of a cell for so long. A hundred years earlier and she would have been burned at the stake for her visions. In the nineteen-twenties it was the asylum and the shock treatments. When she opened her eyes, strong with her fresh youth, it was like she'd never seen the sun before. The old vampire made her a strong new vampire, and there was no reason for me to touch her then. I destroyed the old one in vengeance."_

If I had changed her…I might have spared her the pain…but I would have been the cause of so much more…

Bella's eyes widened on the tape, her lips parting. _"Alice." _I was mildly surprised that it dawned on her so fast. But yet, my Bella had always been perceptive. Especially when it came to something involving us. And Alice was becoming a good friend for her.

"_Yes, your little friend. I was surprised to see her in the clearing. So I guess her coven ought to be able to derive some comfort from this experience. I get you, but they get her." _Given the option, I wasn't entirely sure I'd make that choice. "_The one victim who escaped me, quite an honor, actually." _One of two, now. Bella and Alice both escaped him. "_And she did smell so delicious. I still regret that I never got to taste…she smelled even better than you do. Sorry – I don't meant to be offensive. You have a very nice smell. Floral, somehow…"_

I froze entirely as he stepped towards her, lifting a small part of her hair, and inhaling it. Slowly, he patted it back into place, his finger running along her throat…and her cheek. Bella was paralyzed, eyes wide in terror, almost hyperventilating. I could only imagine her erratic heartbeat.

"_No, I don't understand. Well, I suppose we should get on with it. And then I can call your friends and tell then where to find you, and my little message." _With that, he began to circle my angel, dropping into a crouch.

My eternally frozen heart lurched as Bella turned, trying to run, and broke into two pieces as James kicked her backwards. Shards of mirror shattered around her, blood ripping through her back and seeping through the white shirt she had been wearing, and she met the ground hard.

Agony swept through my back as I relived her pain.

James walked towards her, eyes incredibly black with thirst. It was obvious he hadn't fed, in anticipation of her blood.

"_That's a very nice effect. I thought this room would be visually dramatic for my little film. That's why I picked this place to meet you. It's perfect, isn't it?" _I couldn't see his face, but my knuckles creaked with the effort it touch to not punch something. Alice always teased me about my anger problems. This was why.

Bella had began to crawl to the door frantically. In one fluid movement, James stepped on her leg. A loud, agonizing crack sounded on the tape, and a split second later, Bella was screaming. That sound hurt more than the pain flaring in my leg, a ghost of the ache she must have suffered. On the tape, Bella rolled, gripping her leg in pain.

"_Would you like to rethink your last request?" _He nudged her broken leg with his toe, appearing gentle, but the pain was evident in Bella's scream. _"Wouldn't you rather have Edward try to find me?" _Sobs were ripping from my chest, contrasting with the anger pulsing through my dead veins. My poor Bella…

She started to cry, hyperventilating at the mere mention of my name. _"No! No, Edward, don't…" _James punched her, sending her flying back into the mirrors. Blood gushed from the new cuts on the crown of her head, and she hit the floor again. He stalked towards her, taking her hand a few seconds after she raised it. Grinning triumphantly, he lowered his lips to her wrist, and bit in.

Precious blood trickled down her arm.

I watched as, an eternity later, an image of me ripped the door from the wall. My brothers and one of my sisters were behind me, and my eyes found the creature instantly. He looked up at me, his smile causing blood to seep down his chin, and video-me began to lunge after him.

Then I saw Bella.

I remembered every second of this, as I watched. Video-me fell down, at Bella's side, eyes wide in terror. _"Oh no, Bella, no!" _It was almost fascinating, watching my concern for her, though I would never forget any second of it. I had been petrified of losing her. Maybe this was what my family saw in me every day.

In the background, I glanced at Emmett and Jasper. They had James pinned against the shattered mirror, and were ripping him apart. I drew my eyes back to Bella, where video-me was frozen at her side, Alice's hand squeezing my shoulder.

Video-me was sobbing, my face a mask of complete torment. _"Bella, please! Bella, listen to me, please, please, Bella, please!" _I had never really listened to the sound of my own voice, but I could hear the raw suffering behind the words._ "Carlisle! Bella, Bella, no, oh, please, no, no!" _Watching the scene, I could only sob harder, hating myself for being so weak, but knowing I couldn't stop if I tried.

Carlisle appeared, pressing fabric against her head, and Bella inhaled sharply. Her body shook, and I barely noticed Emmett and Jasper reluctantly leave behind us. Video-me drew closer to Bella now I knew she was awake._ "Bella!" _Even I could see the way she calmed slightly when she heard me speak her name.

My father gently prodded Bella's ribcage. _"She's lost some blood, but the head wound isn't deep. Watch out for her leg, it's broken." _Video-me roared angrily at his words, but I was silenced when Bella whimpered loudly. "_Some ribs, too, I think."_

Alice knelt behind me on the screen, and I remembered how hard it had been for her to stay. A part of me had been vaguely registering her thoughts; how she could feel every inch of blood pulsing from Bella. But she had stayed.

"_Edward…" _Another sob escaped at the weakness in Bella's voice, and I leaned forward, on the very edge of the sofa, my eyes completely glued to the screen.

I inhaled on the tape. _"Bella, you're going to be fine. Can you hear me, Bella? I love you." _She moaned my name again, and I gripped the edge of coffee table in front of me, leaving an obvious handprint. "_Yes, I'm here."_

Bella let out a quiet sob. _"It hurts." _I knew what it took for Bella to admit she was hurt…even when it was obvious she had been harmed, she still denied it until the point where I couldn't look away from her.

Video-me forced back a moan. _"I know, Bella, I know…" _I turned to shout at Carlisle in desperation. _"Can't you do anything?"_ Again, I was reminded of how they must see me when I'm around Bella…but I still wanted to tear every inch of skin from James.

Carlisle glanced at me on the video, his voice calming and soothing. "_My bag, please…hold your breath, Alice, it will help." _I couldn't help but glance at my pixie-like sister, aware of how black her eyes were even through the video.

Bella seemed to realize that Alice had been mentioned. _"Alice?" _Video-me looked at her gratefully, appreciating that she wasn't moving anywhere, before turning back, my gaze on Bella seemingly unbreakable.

Unlike her.

Video-me nodded, though she couldn't see it. _"She's here. She knew where to find you." _I knew now that there was nothing Alice or Jasper could have done to stop my Bella from finding James. But at the time, I had been livid.

"_My hand hurts."_

At the time, I didn't understand what Bella meant. _"I know, Bella. Carlisle will give you something. It will stop." _I hadn't seen what was wrong – I didn't realize what the blood on the back of her hand meant.

Bella's eyes snapped open. _"My hand is burning!" _Alice held her carefully, trying to restrict her movements so that she wouldn't harm herself even further. I still didn't understand, still searching for any other injury on her hand, beginning to worry even more.

"_Bella?" _

She was screaming, completely oblivious to her surroundings, hysterical in her agony. _"The fire! Someone stop the fire!" _I stopped breathing, watching it. She still wanted me to make her a vampire. But after watching her go through the pain of the transformation – twice now – I didn't know if I could honestly do it.

Video-me lifted Bella's hand, and realization began to dawn…slowly, but surely. _"Carlisle! Her hand!" _I still couldn't see the fire, but the memories were beginning to play in my mind. James…mouth filled with blood…

Carlisle wasn't as confused as I was. A simple glance at the cut, and he knew. _"He bit her." _Video-me gasped, my eyes frozen on the bleeding gash, and I tightened my grip on the table as I watched. A creak made me realize I'd torn the wood from it.

Alice spoke, moving to place Bella's head gently in her lap, and looking at her in pity. She couldn't remember the pain, but she still sympathized. _"Edward, you have to do it." _She brushed something – tears, I remembered – from Bella's cheek.

"_No!" _I shouted on the video, horrified at the very suggestion. Bella murmured my sister's name, but I was oblivious to it on the tape. Come on, I urged myself silently, you can do it…you did it…save her…it was an irrational fear, but I was afraid that if I didn't hurry even on the video, I'd still lose her.

"_There may be a chance…"_

Video-me clung to the slight hope in Carlisle's voice. _"What?" _I remembered the thoughts raging through my mind at the time. The vow to save Bella, no matter what…or to follow her as quickly as I could. I couldn't face an eternity without her. But I wouldn't choose the eternity she wanted.

Carlisle was proceeding to patch up her scalp wounds, his face completely void of emotion, medically detached. _"See if you can suck the venom back out. The wound is fairly clean." _He wasn't anywhere near as hysterical as the rest of us had been.

Alice's eyes were blacker than her hair as she stared at Bella's face, trying not to give in. She had, in fact, been distracting herself by remembering some of her more 'girly' moments with Bella, though there had been few. She was reminding herself Bella was her friend, and soon to be sister. _"Will that work?" _Carlisle was staring at her before the words finished leaving her mouth.

"_I don't know. But we have to hurry."_

Video-me was frozen in place, watching Bella writhe and convulse. _"Carlisle, I…I don't know if I can do that." _Yes, you can, I glared at myself, just hurry up and do it already. As I watched Bella, I was trapped in the memory of the fiery pain of my transformation. I needed to stop that for her.

Carlisle looked at me sternly. _"It's your decision, Edward, either way. I can't help you. I have to get this bleeding stopped here if you're going to be taking blood from her hand." _I knew he cared for Bella, on my behalf. But he was a professional – he needed to remain detached to perform.

"_Edward!" _One word. One voice. One scream. And only one person could prompt such a reaction from me. One for forever.

Carlisle moved, trying to hold her broken leg down gently. _"Alice, get me something to brace her leg!" _Alice moved, gently placing Bella's head on the ground, even as my father started fixing up the cuts on her head even more. Alice braced her leg quickly. _"Edward, you must do it now, or it will be too late."_

I watched, completely transfixed, as video-me took her hand, and lowered my lips to it. A deadly kiss. A few seconds later, Bella began to scream. The sound tore me in two. Alice held her still, Carlisle holding her head in place, and I heard Alice start to sing, something I hadn't noticed at the time.

"_You have set me a banquet of love…in the face of hatred…crowning me with love beyond my power to hold…" _She gripped Bella's undamaged hand in her other one, watching Carlisle as she sung. It hadn't really occurred to me until now that my whole family was so desperate for me to find someone I loved. And now I had, they wouldn't let me take that for granted.

Video-me finally stopped, releasing her hand, and spitting out the blood. I mused over the simple act. Why had I done it? How? To drink the sweetest, most pure blood I had ever smelled, and to simply spit it out? Because it was Bella's, tainted with the venom of a creature who deserved to rot in the deepest depths of hell. I wouldn't have swallowed that for anything.

"_Edward?" _Bella murmured. It had always seemed so strange of her – to me – that she expected me to just pack my things and leave. Oh, Bella, if you only understood…you have hold of me completely.

Carlisle was staring at me on the tape. _"He's right here, Bella." _He let go of her head, staring at me with pride, approval, and signaled for Alice to release her leg. The moment shared between us was broken when I returned to watching Bella, and he returned to trying to help her.

"_Stay, Edward, stay with me…"_

I felt another sob tremble in my throat at her words. _"I will." _I spoke the words at the same time as I did on the video, not even doing it deliberately, merely making the promise I had made so long ago. Video-me was smiling in triumph, but it didn't reach my eyes.

Carlisle looked at me, frowning slightly. _"Is it all out?" _His eyes were apologetic as he asked, pleading for forgiveness over a question that had to be said. My eyes conveyed the unspoken words as I looked at him, nodding.

"_Her blood tastes clean…I can taste the morphine."_ My hand hovered over her, wanting to feel the warmth of the blood I fought to hard to keep inside her, but every inch of me screamed to be sensible. My touch would only result in more pain.

"_Bella? Is the fire gone?" _Carlisle asked, sending me the same look he had only moments before, but needing to know it was all gone before he was safe to even think about a hospital. They wouldn't know what to do with a vampire in the middle of the transformation.

She sighed, _"Yes. Thank you, Edward."_

Video-me stared at her. She never had to thank me for things like that. _"I love you." _I never said it enough to her. I'd make sure that I said it every hour of every day, if I could. But there were simple things preventing me. Even vampires could become self-conscious – I didn't want her knowing how much I needed her, in a way. Some humans hated clingy people in relationships, and I would never want her to feel that she had no way out. Bella murmured a small 'I know' before shutting her eyes.

Carlisle didn't want her to sleep._ "Bella?" _Video-me couldn't help but glare at him, and he raised an eyebrow at me, almost daring me to question his years of experience. Bella murmured an unhappy reply, before Carlisle kept talking. _"Where is your mother?"_

Bella's brow creased slightly. _"In Florida. He tricked me, Edward. He watched our videos." _Video-me obviously realized exactly how Bella had been lured here, and I glared at the television. _"Alice. Alice, the video – he knew you, Alice, he knew where you came from…"_

It was then that I noticed the camera taping us, and the mask of repulsion was evident on my face. Even now, I was still disgusted that someone could actually record the last painful minutes of someone's life…especially if that someone were Bella.

Alice moved to the camera first, either saving me from leaving Bella, or to save the camera. She had probably guessed that I would have destroyed it out of anger – and I knew I would have – and would later regret it. Everything she needed to know about herself was on this video.

Her figure blurred, appearing before the camera. And the screen went blue.

**lionandlamb**

I stared down at the debris of the table, the long tears in the sofa, and forced myself to inhale. Without even realizing what I was doing, my hand picked up the remote, and started to rewind the tape.

A few moments later, I was pressing play again, and James' face appeared on the screen. I didn't know why…but I knew I had to watch this tape again and again. It wasn't something I could control, nor stop. I'd watch it until I was free to return to Bella's bedside.

My poor, precious Bella…hooked to machines…in a hospital…covered with bruises…every movement cost her pain. She'd be in a cast for weeks.

Biting back sobs, I turned the volume on the television up.

**You know, after Alice and Jasper, Edward's POV seemed sort of…easy. Not a clue why. I'm hoping he's not too OOC. I've always been better at writing Bella than anyone else – I can relate to her. And my friends seem to think I'm a lot like her, cough calling me Bella cough. One more chapter, in which our anguished little heroines finally decide what to do with the tape. Reviews equal love, which I am in desperate need of because I apparently need to come to the realization that Edward Cullen is fictional, and even if he weren't, belongs to Bella.**

**Then again…if I'm supposedly Bella…I have a chance, don't I? Off to muse about this! Do not talk me out of it! Silence!**

**Just A Little Bit Dramatic**


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